It is almost August

Quotes and meditation

Who Is My neighbor?

“"Love your neighbor as yourself" the Gospel says (Matthew 22:38). But who is my neighbor? We often respond to that question by saying: "My neighbors are all the people I am living with on this earth, especially the sick, the hungry, the dying, and all who are in need." But this is not what Jesus says. When Jesus tells the story of the good Samaritan (see Luke 10:29-37) to answer the question "Who is my neighbor?" he ends by asking: "Which ... do you think, proved himself a neighbor to the man who fell into the bandits' hands?" The neighbor, Jesus makes clear, is not the poor man laying on the side of the street, stripped, beaten, and half dead, but the Samaritan who crossed the road, "bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them ... lifted him onto his own mount and took him to an inn and looked after him." My neighbor is the one who crosses the road for me!”

Henri J. R. Nouwen

“There is a time to go and do; there is a time to listen and reflect.”

“If we censure Martha too harshly, she may abandon serving altogether, and if we commend Mary too profusely, she may sit there forever. There is a time to go and do; there is a time to listen and reflect. Knowing which and when is a matter of spiritual discernment. If we were to ask Jesus which example applies to us, the Samaritan or Mary, his answer would probably be Yes.”

Fred B Craddock

… was professor of preaching and New Testament at Candler School of Theology and Graduate Division of Religion Emory University in Atlanta. This quote is seen in his commentary “Luke” referencing Luke 10:38-42 the story of Mary and Martha entertaining Jesus in their home.

The Mary and Martha story comes directly after the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Thus these two stories bring to the reader the essence of Dr. Craddock's quote. We are called to be out there in the world doing good works, touching the poor, the widows, and the disabled. We are to be committed to reaching out to our neighbors in all aspects of their lives and needs.

The U.S. Army Leadership Manual is based on a “Go, Be, Do” mindset. We where told as children not to just stand there but to 'do something.' We have been crafted by our culture to be doers or Marthas.

During Clinical Pastoral Education we were taught the principle found in Mary and Martha's story, telling us in ministry not to just do something but to stand there; thus being a ministry of presence. It seems that often we are not helping our neighbor by immediately taking some sort of action. Rather we should listen to and reflect on our neighbor's real needs exclusive of their desires giving us an opportunity for the Holy Spirit walk with us through our doing, as we walk our neighbor through their problem. We also need to dedicate a certain amount of our time sitting at the Master's feet in prayer, meditation, reading, and listening.

Yet, when the stories are read we begin to seen that one can't just be a good doer and a doer of those things God has presented us with unless we are also a listener who reflects on all inputs to discern the right thing to do.

I can relate this to my experiences here on my little farm and woods. I have learned the hard way that preparing your saw, using it correctly, and sharpening it often makes the task easier, safer, and more efficient. You learn that the more you use the saw, the more often it needs to be sharpened. We must understand that we are like the saw. We should not take for granted we may be doing a great job... thus just keep on. Like the saw we must be sharpened and properly maintained.

Blessings to all; and may God the Creator give you His grace, mercy, peace, and love. I pray that you learn this brief but powerful lesson and live it.

American Indian thoughts

Members of the Oklahoma Choctaw Nation gathered in Tacoma WA. It is great to see what real 2013 American Indians look like in action spreading good will and educating others on their culture and tradition, thus preserving it.

Elder's Meditation of the Day July 4

"That is not our way, to set yourself apart and talk about who you are and what you've done. You let your life speak for you. With the Mohawk people, wisdom is how you live and how you interpret what y...our mother and father, what your grandmothers and grandfathers have told you about this world - and then how you interpret that into the fact of living every day."
--Tom Porter, MOHAWK

It is said, how you live your life makes so much noise that people can't hear what you are saying anyway. It is so easy to see people who do not walk the talk.

Creator, I ask you today to help me be humble. Let me spend the day listening. Help me to not brag or gossip. Help me today not to do those things that seek attention or approval from others. I am only accountable to You, Oh Great Spirit. You will tell me the things I need to know. Let me learn the lessons from my Elders. Let me teach the children by example. Today, let me walk the talk.

By: Don Coyhis Artist : David Penfound

I ask you all to come with me now and visit the 'welcome back' abbreviated Smoke Signal News Letter from the Manataka American Indian Council: http://manataka.org/page2664.html. This is the American Indian organization/tribe/church of which I am a council Elder. Please take the time to click on the information link in the new project we are beginning... a sacred meeting place, an amphitheater, and museum in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The Rt. Rev. Stephen Charleston is a Retired Episcopal Bishop and Choctaw

News from the Tennessee mini-Farm

Let's start with Jo's mother Glory. Glory told us a few months ago that she would like to be somewhere there were people her age that she could interact with. We began a search, making calls, and visiting places. We would generally take Glory with us so that she could check it out. Glory found a place that she said 'I could live here.' We came back later and talked to the director, had Glory evaluated by the facility staff and her regular physician, and signed her up as a member of the Assisted Living Facility. After two months, she is still happy there. We take care of her laundry and snack supply once or twice a week, but try not to cause her to think we are spying on her. I think it was a good move.

Jo and I have been accepted as Associates at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Cleveland, TN. We have been attending there for about five months. Now licensed in the Diocese of East Tennessee we were introduced to the congregation as Father Fred and Deacon Jo, who you will be seeing regularly at the Altar on Sundays.

In continuing in the maintenance of our certification with the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (our professional organization as Chaplains), we have been accepted into a chapter in Dalton, GA, about and hour away.

ext week Jo and I will attended a training session at the Fire Academy having become members of the Tennessee Federation of Fire Chaplains.

We continue to be a presence at Kathy's County Kitchen in Benton where we are able to meet people and make connections. We also love to help out Kathy when she needs a hand.

We are slowly getting all the little faults and glitches in our new home up to par. This is just one of those tasks that takes awhile when you build a new house. We have been concentrating on the garden, the orchard, and clearing dead fall in the woods... our recreation time. Jo's the master gardener and in spite of a terribly wet start to the season she has been reaping cucumbers and pickling cucumbers faster than we can give them away. She has canned one batch of pickles and preparing for more. She has lots of summer squash, zucchini, green beans, cauliflowers, water melons, cantaloupes, and a great crop of kale while it lasted. None of the store bought tomato plants did very well (too much rain), but the return seedlings from the compost pile have been giving us a load and variety of tomatoes lately. We didn't expect much from the fruit trees this first year... but, we are eating some fresh peaches, will be eating some apples soon, we had a fair crop of blueberries, and have enough blackberries for canning some jam.

Our mini Lily farm is doing very well, the lilies along with a wide variety of bird and butterfly friendly plants are taking shape in the four flower gardens... it is starting to look like home around here.

It was a working winter and so far this summer we haven't slowed down much. It won't be long until we take a vacation, go visit the sights, parks, and places of interest around here, do a little fishing, go tubing on the river, and generally act like retirees.

We miss everyone in Central Florida. You stay in our thoughts and prayers. We will be making more frequent trips there as things slow down. You remain in our thoughts and prayers. Blessings.